Code Laws of Bendel State of Nigeria, 1976, applicable in Edo State. He was consequently sentenced to
death by hanging. This was at the High Court of Edo State, holden at Benin City on 26th January, 2005.
This appeal is against the said conviction and sentence. The appellant filed his notice of appeal within
time. It contained two grounds of appeal, on 9th February, 2005.
This court granted leave to the appellant, on his application by which he filed an amended notice of
appeal dated 9th March, 2010 on 16th March, 2010. The same was deemed as properly filed on 14th
March, 2011.
The amended notice of appeal contains five (5) grounds which shorn of their particulars, each say:
"GROUND ONE
The trial judge erred in law in convicting the Appellant of murder when there was no direct and
independent credible evidence before the court, that the Appellant was responsible for the death of the
deceased.
GROUND TWO
The learned trial judge erred in law, when he convicted the Appellant and sentenced him to death
despite the evidence of diminished capacity of the Appellant as a result of his temporary insanity arising
from narcotic intoxication.
GROUND THREE
The learned trial judge erred in law when he did not draw attention to the need for medical examination
of the Appellant to ascertain his mental capacity as a result of his raising the defence of insanity.
GROUND FOUR
The learned trial judge erred in law when he held that the inconsistency rule would not apply in the case
so as to require him to seek other evidence outside the retracted confession in order to support the
prosecution's case against the Appellant.
GROUND FIVE
The learned trial judge erred in law in convicting the Appellant of murder when the prosecution did not
prove any mens rea or mental element of the offence."
The appellant in pursuit of the prosecution of the appeal, armed with his brief of argument dated 11th
November, 2009, filed the same on 18th November, 2009. The said brief of argument was settled by
Chino Edmund Obiagwu, Esq. Two issues were distilled for determination, to wit:
"1. Whether the failure of the learned trial judge to make detailed findings on Appellant's defence of
involuntary intoxication and his lack of mental capacity to commit the offence charged by the trial court
was not a miscarriage of justice?